Homecoming
by Ellabee15
Summary: Hal Jordan comes back after 6 years to find that things have changed.
1. Chapter 1

6 years. Hal Jordan looked around at the rundown state of the Star City streets. He'd been away from Earth for 6 years. The ring had told him she was living here and he would find her. 6 years was too long a time away from her and he wasn't wasting another second that could be spent with her. His attention was drawn to a large crowd of people and cameras. They were standing in front of some type of Christmas tree on the bay beach. And there she was, illuminated in the soft glow of the lights. His heart stopped as he joined the crowd of people, trying to get closer to the front. No matter how many times he'd pictured what his home coming would be like nothing could have prepared him for how breathtaking she was…and for the fact that another man would be proposing to her.

He clenched his fists watching as she tearfully accepted the other man's proposal. He bowed his head and moved away, pushing back through the crowd. Now was not the time to press the issue, he'd follow them and-

"It's so romantic that she said yes after the whole kidnapping thing." He overheard the whispered words from one woman to her husband in front of him and his blood ran cold.

"Excuse me." he said, smiling politely. "I just got in from out of town. What do you mean kidnapping?"

"Damien Darhk kidnapped her at Queen's holiday campaign party." The woman explained. "He wanted to get back at Queen for exposing the fact that Darhk's been ruining our city."

Hal nodded his thanks and rushed away from the crowd. Ducking out of sight he activated his ring. Felicity had left the media event on her new fiancé's arm and was now driving away in a limo. The fiancé, who Hal now realized, was Oliver Queen. "Isn't he supposed to be dead?" he muttered to himself as he flew up into the sky, searching for their limo. Then he realized with a jolt that after 6 years, he too had probably been declared dead. Felicity had moved on because she thought he was gone. He shook himself. None of that mattered at present. Felicity was clearly in danger around this man and he had to make sure she was alright. His worst fears were confirmed when he finally found the limo under heavy gunfire.

Using his ring, he encased the vehicle in a green protective bubble, then lifted it and moved it far away from the gun men. Then he created a giant fist and battered the gunmen and their cars before flying back to the limo. Queen had pulled Felicity from the wreckage of the car. She was motionless, bleeding. The chauffer was dead, but, impossibly, Queen didn't have a scratch on him. Hal's hands balled into fists as he glared at the man. This was his fault, yet Felicity was the one suffering for it. He got closer to examine Felicity. Queen pulled her closer in his arms.

"I just saved your lives." Hal said. "Don't move her, you might make things worse." The bullet was lodged in her back dangerously close to her spine. Hal had to call on all of his lantern training not to tear Queen apart for his responsibility in this. He wrapped Felicity's midsection in green bandages created by the ring to stop the bleeding. It would be enough to give him time to fly to a hospital; it had to be enough. Pulling her from Queen, he ignored the other man's questions as he took off and flew into the night, going towards Star City General.

She stirred slightly; her eyes opening a fraction.

"Hal." She said; her voice weak and fading.

"Sh." He murmured frantically trying to fly faster. "I'm here, Sunflower." The old pet name falling from his lips as easily as it had the day he'd left on that test flight 6 years previously. "Just hang on for me, baby."

He landed in front of the ER.

"This woman's been shot." He shouted as he opened the door. "I need a doctor." He glared as everyone froze, taking in strange appearance of his Lantern uniform. "NOW." He shouted.

Nurses and doctors rushed forward, taking her from him. He stood watching her being wheeled away into the OR before turning to one of the attending medical staff. "Her name is Felicity Jor…Smoak. She's type O positive and allergic to nuts. She doesn't have any previous conditions that would complicate surgery and she's been shot in the back next to the L-3 vertebrae." He rattled off as much of Felicity's medical history as he could remember.

"Thank you." The bewildered nurse said, looking at the suit. "It's a good thing the Green Arrow added you to his team, otherwise she'd be in trouble." She turned and left to go give the doctor the information. Hal stood there for a second before leaving the OR and taking off. Whoever this Damien Darhk was, Hal was going to make him sorry he ever came near Felicity.

"Kilowog." He said, activating his com system. His friend was sitting in the space craft the Guardians had lent Hal to get him to Earth after he'd defeated Sinestro.

"Poozer." Kilowog replied.

"I need you to use the ship's scanners to find a Damien Darhk." Hal said, gritting his teeth at the ridiculousness of the other man's name.

"You owe him money or something?" Kilowog joked.

"He just tried to kill Felicity." Hal said. Kilowog wisely didn't respond; he knew how much she meant to Hal.

"Got him." He finally said, giving him a location. "Want help?"

"Meet me there." Hal growled.

It was an underground facility. Kilowog was waiting for him at the entrance.

"She alright?" he asked when Hal landed.

Hal turned to the door and broke it down. "She's in the hospital." He said.

Kilowog followed him, his expression grim. "Sorry, Poozer." He murmured. "What's the plan?"

"Go in and destroy everything until Darhk shows himself. Then destroy some more." Hal said. Kilowog cracked his knuckles as the first round of Darhk's minions descended on them.

"I like the sound of that." He said. They fought Darhk's henchmen. Moving through the facility, they found their way into what appeared to be a large underground greenhouse.

"Drugs?" Hal said through gritted teeth. "He tried to kill her for drugs."

"What did your girl do to get on the wrong side of these guys?" Kilowog asked.

"More like what did her fiancé do." Hal muttered, tearing a nearby plant out by the roots.

"Fiancé?" Kilowog looked at him in horror. "I thought she was your –"

"I've been gone for 6 years Kilowog." He glared angrily at the facility. "She probably thinks I'm dead and I haven't…I might never get the chance to…" He looked exhaled heavily, the pain in his chest exploding. "I hurt her, Kilowog. I promised her I'd never leave and I abandoned her."

"You didn't really have a choice, Poozer." The other lantern put his hand on Hal's shoulder.

Hal ground his teeth. "That doesn't make me feel better." He looked at the plants. "Kilowog. I think we need to do a little landscaping."

They razed the plants.

"STOP." A man's voice called out. Hal turned and looked at the angry man with pale skin and hair so blonde it was almost white. His appearance practically screamed evil villain.

"Damien Darhk?" Hal said. The man tilted his head and looked at Kilowog.

"What are you?" He asked. Hal looked into his eyes. There was madness in their depths. When he found out that Felicity survived he'd come after her again and again. He couldn't allow that.

"I'm Hal Jordan. Lantern of sector 2814. Consider this an eviction notice."

There was a warning pulse from his ring. It had sensed something in the air around Darhk.

"Magic." Growled Kilowog, his ring probably had given him the same warning.

Darhk shot the two of them a cursory look and his lips curled into an evil grimace. "I've put in a lot of work to make this operation succeed and –"

"You call murdering innocent people, work?" Hal hissed.

"Well…" Darhk paused, considering his answer. "Yes. I mean, you have to plan and bullets are wasted and occasionally one of my men dies, which is annoying because good underlings are so hard to find these days."

Hal used the ring to slam Darhk against the wall and hold him there.

"Kilowog; destroy this facility while I have a chat with our prisoner." Hal said.

"You got it, Poozer." Kilowog turned and took care of the rest of the plants.

"Alright." Darhk sighed. "Who did I kill? Your dog? Your mom? Brother? Sister? Girlfriend?" His eyes lit up. "That's it, isn't it? I got your girl. Which one was she? Don't bother giving me names, there's too many to keep track anymore. Give me a detailed descrip-"

Hal punched him in the face. "Shut up." he growled, stepping closer to Darhk. The blond man's eyes lit up and he held up his hand, placing it on Hal's chest. Hal felt the pull of magic trying to drain him, but his lantern ring blocked Darhk's ability. Darhk frowned, pressing his hand harder onto Hal's chest.

"Why isn't this working?" he grumbled.

"Do you usually cop a feel before you get thrown into intergalactic prison?" Hal asked.

"Intergalactic prison?" For the first time Darhk looked scared which made Hal feel a surge of satisfaction. "On what charge?

"Judging from the state of the city and the fact that you were behind the attempted assassination of a mayoral candidate today, I'd say we have ourselves a classic case of interference with the natural evolution of a species. What do you think, Kilowog?" he called over his shoulder.

"Sounds about right." Kilowog said, coming back over. "By the way, I took care of those pesky weeds for you."

"Aren't you thoughtful?" Hal said. "Isn't he thoughtful?" he asked, turning back to Darhk. "Kilowog's a great gardener. He's got a green thumb like you wouldn't believe." He punched Darhk again, knocking him out. "Take him up to the ship and throw him in a cell." Hal growled "I'll be there soon."

Flying across the city again, Hal braced himself for the possibility of bad news. Landing next to the hospital, he used the ring to turn his uniform back into civilian clothes. Walking into the ER he went up to the main nurse's desk.

"Hi, I'm looking for information on the condition of a woman who was brought in earlier. Her name is Felicity Smoak, I'm her –"

There was a high pitched scream. Hal whirled around, his Lantern training making him scan for signs of distress. He caught sight of the tearstained face of an older blonde woman.

"Hal." Donna gasped.

"Hi Donna." He said, sheepishly.

Felicity's mother came close, holding her hands out. Grabbing his face, she looked him in the eyes, not believing what she was seeing. "You're alive?" she whispered. "You're alive."

"It's a really long story." Hal said. "I'm so so sor-"

SMACK.

Donna's hand cracked across his face. Hal looked at the ground and rubbed his jaw. "I deserved that." He murmured. "Donna there's no excuse I can give that-"

"We thought you were dead." Donna shouted, beating his chest with her fists. "Where were you? Do you have any idea what Felicity went through after…and your poor mother." She sobbed, stilling her hands. Hal wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close as she cried.

"I'm so sorry Donna." He said.

The rest of the group in the waiting area was watching the exchange with confusion. One in particular looked especially angry.

"Donna." Oliver Queen said, coming closer. "Who is this?"

Donna pulled back from Hal. "This….this is…" She motioned towards him, then looked between him and Oliver. "Oh, this is a disaster."

Hal stepped forward and held out his hand. "Hal Jordan." He said. "I'm Felicity's husband."

Oliver looked at him in shock, ignoring the outstretched hand.

"Felicity's what?" A young brunette said.

"No, she would have told us if she were married." Another woman with brown hair and blonde highlights insisted.

"It's true." Donna said. "7 years ago, Felicity was married to Hal." She swayed unsteadily on her feet. Hal helped her over to a chair. "Hal's mother and I were friends in high school. After Felicity's father left…well money got pretty tight and we couldn't go far away on vacation, so we spent our summers in Coast City with their family. Hal and Felicity grew up together. After Cooper… Felicity was so heartbroken and Hal was there for her. They fell in love." Donna pressed her hands to her mouth. "Then the accident happened. Hal was a pilot at Ferris Air and… and" she couldn't bring herself to continue. Her shoulders were shaking as she buried her face in her hands.

"You're the pilot that disappeared." A tall muscular man in the corner of the room spoke up. "A plane crashed and they never found an explanation…or any trace of the pilot."

Donna nodded, gulping for air. "Felicity was…destroyed. She searched and searched, but..." She looked at Hal. "You were gone. So she moved as far away from Coast City as she could and came here to put herself back together and start over."

Hal hung his head. "I never meant to hurt her." He said.

"Why didn't she tell me?" Oliver growled.

"She wanted to." Donna said. "When we found the ring and she knew you were going to propose she was planning to."

"But before that." Queen insisted.

Donna shot Hal a look before answering: "because of the baby."

Hal felt the air leave his lungs. "A baby?" he asked "I'm…I'm a dad?" He hadn't thought it was possible to feel any worse for what he'd done to Felicity, but then Donna shook her head.

"She miscarried."

Hal felt sick. He should have found a way to refuse the ring or return earlier. A doctor came in. Everyone turned, expectantly.

"She's stable."

There was a collective sigh of relief.

"The next few hours are critical," the doctor continued. "And she'll need more surgery and care to assess the damage, but she's over the worst." She smiled. "Family can visit her now."

Both Hal and Oliver made to follow Donna. Oliver glared at Hal.

"I'm her husband." Hal said.

"You're dead." Oliver said. "She's no longer any concern of yours."

"Big talk from the man whose fault it is she's in the hospital in the first place." Hal said. Oliver recoiled, surprised by the fact that Hal knew. Before Hal could continue, Kilowog patched in from the ship.

"Poozer."

Hal turned away. "Not now, Kilowog."

"The Guardians contacted me. They said they've been doing some checking and there's evidence of Thanagarian influence on your planet in something called Egypt. They're convening to discuss a course of action and want you there." Kilowog said apologetically.

"Fine." Hal growled. Activating his ring, he morphed his civilian clothes into his Green Lantern uniform. Then he turned to the shocked group of people surrounding him. "If Felicity doesn't want me in her life it's her decision to make." He glared at Oliver and said. "By the way, I took care of your Darhk problem. You're welcome." He took off.

Trying to get his emotions under control, Hal sped away. He had to convince the Guardians to let him come back. Earth was in his sector and it was his responsibility to maintain order. He would give them no choice but to have him return. Then he would make things right with Felicity…even if it meant losing her to Oliver Queen. A store window caught his eye. Landing he went, buying the object that had gotten his attention. Just because he was willing to step aside, he mused, didn't mean he had to make things easy for Queen.

* * *

4 days later after multiple surgeries Felicity was released from the hospital. Unable to walk because of her injuries, she was bound to a wheelchair, Oliver pushed it inside their apartment.

"Are you okay?" he asked for the millionth time.

"Just…thinking." Felicity said "I dreamt about things while I was under. Things I buried long ago and-" she froze. Her eyes locked on the coffee table in the center of the apartment. Oliver followed her eyes looking to see what had her so shaken.

"Oh, that's probably Thea's doing. She came by earlier to make sure everything was…accessible to you." Oliver hung his head, looking away from her wheelchair. "I don't know why she picked that one though. You got so many flowers, one sunflower seems a bit –" he broke off as Felicity wheeled herself forward. Reaching out she stared at the yellow flower, her heart constricting. Picking it up, memories she'd been running from finally caught up with her. She was thrown back into a moment 6 years before. A tall brown haired man whose eyes were always so full of love for her and happiness was handing her a flower almost identical to this one. He'd looked so handsome in his flight suit and so excited to test out the new aircraft.

"I'll be home soon." He'd promised, stealing one last burning kiss. "Look to the skies, sunflower."

She gasped, tears falling from her eyes as she pressed the flower to her chest. "Hal."

* * *

Light years away on Oa, Hal stood and looked at the vastness of space in the direction of Earth. The Guardians had approved his return. Looking down at his hands he rubbed his fingers along the worn edges of the photograph he'd kept with him for the past 6 years. The same one he'd had in the pocket of his flight suit the day of that test flight.

"I'll be home soon." He promised Felicity. "Just look to the skies, sunflower."


	2. Chapter 2

He was sitting alone on a bench in the park. Felicity looked at him, her hands on her lap, unsure whether to wheel forward or turn around. Hal…who she'd thought was dead and gone, was alive and in front of her. He'd sent her his new phone number with a note asking to meet. He was looking out in front of him. Felicity pressed her lips together; he looked so similar and yet there were differences. His shoulders were broader, his eyes less light and care free. There were lines there that hadn't been there before. He'd been through a lot, where ever he'd been.

"Do you want to go back?" Laurel asked. Felicity had asked her to drive her to this meeting. She'd told Oliver she was going, but it seemed too weird to ask him to take his fiancé to a meeting with her newly resurrected husband.

"I just…" as she looked he stiffened and turned. Their eyes met. He stood and opened his mouth, she could see him murmuring her name. Both of them seemed unsure how to proceed. Then Felicity unfolded her hands and gripped her wheels, wheeling herself forwards. Hal moved towards her, closing the distance between them.

"Felicity." He said. She'd promised herself she wasn't going to cry, but of course her resolve crumbled the second he knelt in front of her. She dimly registered Laurel saying to call her when she needed her. Hal pulled a bunch of tissues from his pocket and handed them to her. She accepted them, wiping her eyes.

"Do…you want to sit down?" She motioned to the bench. He nodded. Straightening up, he was about to reach for the back of her chair to push it, when she wheeled herself forward. She refused to ask him for anything. Not until she had an explanation.

"So." She said, stopping next to the bench. "You wanted to talk."

Hal nodded. "You…um, you look good."

She looked up at him silently, waiting for him to continue. He sat down and fiddled with a ring on his right hand. It was large, green and appeared to be glowing.

"What I'm about to say." His voice was soft. "Is by no means an excuse. I-I know you might not…and you probably won't forgive me, but…" He paused. "Just you hearing me out would be enough." He looked into her eyes. "The day of that test flight, everything was going fine. Then something smashed into my plane. We went down in the desert."

"We?" Felicity asked. Hal nodded.

"The thing that crashed into me was a person…an alien. His name was Abin Sur and-"

"An ALIEN?" Felicity cut him off. "I—" She shook her head and began wheeling away.

"It's the truth." He said, getting up and following her.

"6 years, Hal and the best excuse you can come up with is 'aliens made me do it'? I-" Her words turned to a scream as bright green bubble encased her wheelchair and stopped her from moving. She turned. Hal was holding out his hand, the ring on it glowing even more brightly.

"I'm a member of an intergalactic police force called the Green Lantern Corps." Hal explained. The bubble disappeared. Hal rubbed the back of his head. "So yeah….aliens."

Felicity turned back to him. "You've been in space?"

He gave her a small smile. "Yeah." He glanced around at the people in the park. "But if we want to keep talking, we might want to take this somewhere more private."

"Okay, um…we could." She glanced around. "You wouldn't happen to be able to fly would you?"

Hal grinned.

"Wait…seriously? Hal?"

He stepped forward. "Hold tight." He grabbed her wheelchair and encased both of them in a green glowing light. The ground below appeared to be getting farther and farther. Felicity instinctively threw her arms around him. Even after their years of separation, the gesture seemed second nature. They flew through the air and landed on the roof of the Palmer tech building. Hal put the chair down and waited until she let go of his neck.

"You should have asked before abducting me." She said, not looking at him. She took a deep breath. "So…aliens."

He nodded. "Remember when we were kids and we'd pretend to go to the moon?"

She couldn't fight the smile at those memories. "The year my mom wouldn't let me go to space camp." Hal had built her a rocket ship out of cardboard boxes and old tires in his yard. "Why are you back?"

"The Guardians…the people in charge of the Green Lantern Corps, let me come back to earth after I basically saved the entire Corps from destruction." He hung his head. "A lantern named Sinestro went rogue. I took him down." He looked tired. "The corps maintains order in the galaxy and these rings…" he held up his hand, showing her the green ring. "Give us a lot of power. It went to his head and he decided that simply guarding was enough and the only way to protect the galaxy was to rule it."

Felicity nodded. "And…if you hadn't taken out this….Sinestro guy…would you have come back?"

"I don't know." Hal said. "The second Abin Sur died, the ring chose me. The ring is binding contract. The only way to pass it off is when a Lantern dies. I touched it was transported to another corner of the galaxy. The first two years I fought every day to get back to you. The farthest I got was the rings of Saturn…I was practically certain I'd come back….and then they caught up with me." He shut his eyes. "Ironically it was Sinestro who brought me back. He was my mentor before he went evil. He pointed out that all Lanterns had to lose their families and that I needed to stop pretending that I was special." He reached into his pocket. "So I stopped trying to escape." He met her eyes. "I'm not asking you to forgive me. I can't imagine what I put you through especially…" he broke off and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. Felicity recognized it was the picture of her he kept in his flight suit. "I needed to see you and make sure you're happy." He closed his eyes. "If being with Queen makes you happy, then I understand. I love you no matter what."

Felicity closed her eyes, tears coming back. "That doesn't sound like the Hal I knew." Hal let out a weak laugh.

"Well I didn't say I liked it, but I don't have the right to come back after all these years and demand you back."

Felicity wheeled closer. "The night…I got this chair, I remember your voice and a light….that was that color."

Hal nodded. "I was there. I was the one who brought you to the hospital." Felicity looked at him in shock.

"No one told me."

"I'm not surprised." Hal said. "Donna seemed pretty shaken." He hesitated before adding. "She told me about…the baby."

The words were like being stabbed with a white hot knife. Felicity clutched her chest. Hal knelt in front of her and held her as she shook, unsure how many tears she had left inside.

"It was girl." She said after a few minutes. "The doctor said there was nothing I could have done and that sometimes these things just…happen."

"I should have been there." Hal said. "I-"

Felicity shook her head. "You must be so disappointed…coming back all these years a Lantern guardian person and…" she motioned to her wheel chair.

"No." Hal wiped her eyes and kissed her forehead. "I'm just grateful that I got the chance to see you again." He paused. "I got rid of Darhk." He continued. "He won't be bothering you again…he's not dead." He reassured her after seeing the momentary look of panic on his face. "He's rotting in a cell on a prison planet awaiting trial for interference in the advancement of a species."

Felicity felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Darhk was gone. "Is that why you weren't there when I woke up?"

Hal looked guiltily at his hands. "I had to go back to Oa…the planet where Lantern headquarters is, to plead my case to the guardians. I made them see that my planet needed me as much as m galaxy sector. They…they're giving me a chance to see if I can successfully balance watching both."

"So you're going to leave again." Felicity couldn't keep the bitterness from her voice; she'd just gotten him back.

"I don't know." Hal sounded heartbroken. "I wish I could promise you that I could stay. That there's nothing in any piece of the galaxy that…" he sighed. "But I won't lie to you and I refuse to make a promise to you I can't keep." He exhaled sadly. "All I can say is that I'm sorry."

Felicity wiped the tears from her eyes and turned away. "Why does it hurt this much?" she asked. "I should be overjoyed; you're….alive." She looked back at him.  
I've wanted that more than anything. " she covered her mouth in surprise, frightened by her admission. "I…"

"Yes?" Hal was looking at her with so much hope in his eyes. He was waiting for her to say how muich she loved him. That she'd throw away everything and be with him. She'd be lying if she tried to hide that part of her wanted to just that. It would be so easy.

"I need to…think about what you've told me." Her voice was strangled. Hal's expression faltered and turned into a serious mask. He moved back.

"I understand; it's…a lot."

She turned her chair towards the roof access. Wheeling over, she paused, her hand on the knob. "Hal…" he was standing there, watching her. "I…I forgive you." Then she opened the door and went inside.

* * *

She had a company car take her straight home. She entered the apartment silently. She heard Oliver upstairs. He was on the phone so she shut the door quietly to not disturb him. He'd been so understanding about the whole…dead not dead husband and she felt guilty for not telling him, but…until she'd found the ring she hadn't wanted to open up that particularly painful part of her past. She was about to go to the kitchen to get a snack when she heard a snippet of Oliver's conversation.

"I can't get away….she's….in a bad place right now."

Felicity froze. Was he talking about her? She wheeled closer to the stairs to listen. Part of her told her that she was being paranoid, but her curiosity won over.

"It's been a difficult adjustment." Oliver continued. "Thanks for understanding, Samantha….yes…say hello to William for me. I'll see you soon."

Samantha? William? Who was he talking to? She rolled to the front door and slammed it loudly so Oliver would know she was back. Then she waited. Oliver rushed to the top of the stairs. He seemed to momentarily assess her. She placed a fake smile on her face.

"Hey…" He smiled and seemed to relax. "How was…your husband?"

"He's still legally dead." Felicity said. "And it turns out he's been gone for 6 years because he was drafted as a member of an intergalactic police force." She crossed her arms, thinking of Hal's admission that he'd been at the hospital. "You don't seem surprised." She commented.

Oliver came down the stairs and sat on the couch across from her. She wheeled closer. "I…should have told you. I told you he was alive, but I figured knowing that was overwhelming enough without adding superpowers to the mix." He looked at the coffee table. "He saved you from Darhk's men and flew you to the hospital."

"Why would you keep something like that from me?" Felicity asked.

A small flicker of anger crossed Oliver's eyes before he said. "I thought you had enough to deal with." He glanced at her chair.

"Was it some kind of punishment?" Felicity asked.

"What?" Oliver looked shocked.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Hal, okay?." She said, bringing up the subject they'd been dancing around ever since her release from the hospital. "It was…too painful and I promise that the second I found that ring I was going to make time to explain, but then I was kidnapped and….one thing led to another." She closed her eyes. "I should have told you earlier, but losing Hal and then our child were the darkest parts of my life and I wasn't ready to share it…not because I didn't trust you, but because I didn't think I could handle revisiting those memories." She closed her eyes. "But I'm telling you now, because I need to be honest if we want this thing to work….so any question you have about Hal, I'll answer."

Oliver exhaled slowly. "Do you still love him?"

Felicity had been afraid of this question, but she nodded. "I've known him my entire life and I may have grieved him, but I never stopped loving him. That doesn't change that he's a part of my past. You're the man I chose for my future."

Oliver nodded and stood.

"Oliver." Felicity said. She didn't know why the phone conversation she'd heard was bothering her, but something in her gut was telling her she needed to ask him about it. "Who's Samantha? I heard you talking to her….you seemed close."

"She's a campaign donor." Oliver brushed the question aside. "She knew my mother." He went to the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner?"

Felicity forced another smile on her face. "Turkey bacon carbonara sounds good." Inside she was in turmoil. Hal was back and now Oliver was lying to her. She knew he was…but why?

* * *

3 days later she had her answer. She was in the Arrow cave in front of her computers.

"Oliver," she called over to the salmon ladder where he was working out. "Who's William?"

"Hmm?" Oliver dropped down and grabbed a towel.

She turned the computer screen towards him so he could see the matching DNA sequences. "Who's William?"

He froze.

"Did you know?...stupid question, you did, because his mother, Samantha went to the same college you went to before magically moving back to Central City 10 years ago with no explanation. She then gave birth to a son. William. Who has no father listed on the birth certificate and whose DNA sequence magically matches yours.

"How did you?"

"I hacked his hospital records."

"WHAT?" Oliver growled.

"I admit that was crossing a line, but you lied to me the other day and I found Samantha's number on your phone and when I looked into her." Felicity felt the tears threatening again. "You said she was a campaign donor. You looked me in the eyes and lied to me." She glared at him.

Oliver covered his eyes. "That's really something considering what you've been keeping from me."

"Excuse me?" Felicity hissed.

"I've been trying to be understanding about what you're going through." Oliver began.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize how hard my paralysis has been on you." Felicity spat.

"I'm not talking about the chair Felicity." Oliver raised his voice. "I'm talking about HIM. You've been calling out for him in your sleep ever since the...the shooting. You've been crying in corners, you refuse to throw out that stupid sunflower he left in our apartment."

"How can you even compare…" Felicity gaped at him. "I never lied to you about Hal. I never looked you in the eye and said 'Hal? No I've never heard of him…he's definitely not my dead husband'." She wheeled closer to him. "You've made me feel guilty about not being upfront about my dead husband and miscarriage, meanwhile you've had a living, breathing, child that you've been hiding from me?" She paused. "Wait…have you been sneaking away to see them?" She back away and covered her mouth. "Did Barry even need your help that time you went back to Central after we took down Savage…or was that just an excuse?"

Oliver hung his head, his silence saying the answer loud and clear.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" She asked, softly.

"Samantha made me promise-" Oliver began.

"Don't you dare…" Felicity shook her head. So now it was the mother's fault. How could he stand there and try to justify his actions by throwing the blame on someone else. "Why is it that telling the truth is such a challenge for you?" She looked down at the engagement ring on her finger. Instead of the excitement and happiness it usually gave her, all she could feel was revulsion. What if one day he decided that this side family was better and he left? What was he doing with Samantha when he went to visit William? She pulled the ring off. "I can't do this…"

"Felicity." Oliver's voice sounded broken.

"I can't just over look something like this, Oliver…I don't think I can…" She put the ring on the table in front of the computers and rolled towards the elevator.

"Please…I love you." He said.

"I do too." She said. "Which is why this is so painful." She got onto the elevator and didn't turn around until she got to the upper floor. She rolled through the campaign office and was just about to reach the door when Digg walked in.

"Hey Fe-" he trailed off as he saw the stricken expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Can you take me to my old apartment." Her mother was living there ever since she'd moved to Starling and Felicity did not want to go back to their…Oliver's apartment.

"Is everything okay?" Digg asked as he helped her into the van.

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

By some miracle, she managed to keep it together the whole car ride. She caught Digg staring at her ring finger, but thankfully he didn't say anything. He pulled up outside her old place and helped her down.

"Do you want me to come in?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, thanks." Felicity murmured. Rolling up to the door, she rang the doorbell, hoping her mother wouldn't ask too many question, yet at the same time she was hoping to be smothered.

"Donns, you're back from your date early-" Hal opened the door and gaped down at Felicity. Then he saw her expression and frowned. "Who hurt you?"

"You're…staying here?" Felicity asked.

"Donna's letting me crash on the couch…" Hal trailed off as the dam broke. "Hey." He picked her up and towed the wheel chair inside with his ring, shutting the door behind them. She grabbed hold of him, clutching him as she cried. He sat on the couch. He didn't push, he just waited for her to be ready to share.


	3. Chapter 3

The last person Hal had been excepting when he'd opened the door was Felicity. He'd made Donna promise not to tell her he was staying at her old apartment. He should have continued sleeping on the ship, but the apartment was so…Felicity. It was the closest thing he'd had to a home for the better part of 6 years. Donna was….Donna. Though she'd been happy to have him back, she'd spent the first few days singing Oliver's praises while dropping thinly veiled hints about how terrible it was that he'd abandoned Felicity. Then she'd come into the room when he was communicating with the Guardians and she began to understand that he'd had no control. That night she'd bought him the disposable phone and told him she'd given Felicity his number.

She'd gone on a date with Quentin, leaving Hal to replay his meeting with Felicity over again in his mind. The doorbell rang. It was early for Donna to be back, and Hal opened the door, ready to tease her…and found Felicity looking up at him in shock. Her eyes were wide, she was pale and he recognized the tell tale quiver of her lips that indicated her trying to fight back tears. Something was wrong.

"Who hurt you?"

"You're…staying here?" She asked. Her voice was jolted, pained. Whoever had done this would pay.

"Donna's letting me crash on the couch…."

He'd barely finished the sentence when she began crying.

"Hey." He murmured, picking her up. Using the ring to tow her wheelchair in and shut the door. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his shoulder, shaking. He put her down on the couch and was about to pull back when she clung harder. So he stayed. It took 10 minutes for her to cry herself out. Sniffing and gulping for air, she wiped her eyes and he noticed that she was no longer wearing Oliver's ring.

"What happened?" he asked. She looked up at him and saw what he was focused on. Pressing her lips together she shook her head. "What did he do, Felicity? Because if he doesn't know how amazing you are-"

"I left him." She said softly.

"Oh." He wasn't sure how to respond. Part of him was overjoyed, but he knew that it wasn't because she wanted to be with him and while he hated seeing her with Queen. He hates seeing her hurt even more.

"It wasn't because of you." She continued. "Well, sort of…not completely. You factored into it, but…." She cleared her throat before whispering. "He's got a kid, Hal."

"What?"

"A ten year old son. He lives in Central City and his name's William. I only found out because…..I did some background research a this woman named Samantha who I heard him talking to. He said she was a campaign donor but I knew….I knew he was lying so I did some digging and…" She was speeding up, entering full ramble mode. Hal held her closer. Breaking off before she got jumbled, she took a steadying breath before continuing. "I did a background check and I felt guilty the whole time because it's wrong to not trust someone, especially when you're supposed to be marrying them. And it turns out I can't trust him."

Hal waited. He'd let her calm down before getting specifics, namely where Queen was now and which body parts she wanted him to dismember first.

"I feel so stupid." She whispered. "There's a clear pattern of dishonesty in all his past relationships and I…" she let out a humorless laugh. "I actually thought I'd be the exception. I thought he was my chance at finally being happy." She shook her head. "Maybe I'm cursed, I mean first Cooper, then you dying now…."

"You've got me, Felicity." She looked away and shook her head.

"Only until the space police decide that you need to go back to …." She trailed off.

"Oa." He supplied. It was true; he couldn't guarantee that he'd never leave. Felicity shifted away from him.

"Is it weird that this…" she motioned at him, "feels right, yet wrong at the same time. I want to stay here with you, but at the same time it feels unfair to Oliver."

"You've got nothing to feel guilty about." Hal said quickly, though he wasn't sure if he said it to reassure her or if it was to have her not get up from the couch.

The door clicked open. "Hal, I brought you back some pizza, then Quentin and I are going back to his place to-" Donna caught sight of Felicity and frowned. "Are you cheating on Oliver?"

Felicity ducked her head.

"They had a fight." Hal said, trying to spare her from explaining. "She came here to get some space. I didn't tell her I was here so…"

"What kind of fight?" Donna asked, her eyes narrowing. She thought it was because of him.

"He's got a kid, mom." Felicity said softly. "And he was planning on hiding him from me for…I don't think he ever intended to tell me."

"Oh honey." Donna's face fell and she rushed to her daughter's side, effectively pushing Hal away. "Let me just call Quentin and tell him that-"

Captain Lance walked in the room. "Well I'd never thought I'd see the day." He said, gleefully.

"What?" Donna asked. Lance grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. A gossip report was playing footage of Felicity and Hal on loop. Her ringing the bell. Him answering and taking her into his arms. The headline read "OLICITY CHEATING SCANDAL." They also had pictures of the two of them in the park the other day. Felicity buried her face in her hands.

"Oh god." She groaned.

"I know Queen and I are supposed to be on the same side now, but I can't deny that there isn't a part of me that isn't loving this after what he did to my girls." Quentin grinned and looked over at Hal. "Hello, not dead husband and side piece."

"Quentin." Donna admonished. "Felicity honey, if you talk to Oliver you can –"

"I don't want to talk to Oliver." Felicity said. "He had his chance to talk to me and…" She looked up, a determined look in her eyes. "I've made my decision and I'm standing by it. I can't start a marriage worried that he might be lying to me about every little thing."

"Wish Laurel could have figure that out 9 years ago." Quentin muttered, turning back to the TV. Donna shot him an angry look, but before she could say anything Felicity's phone began buzzing, flooded with incoming texts. Hal read over her shoulder.

Digg: Talk?

Laurel: You okay?

Thea: Is it mind control? Is green guy forcing you?

Felicity tossed the phone aside in disgust. "I need to…I can't stay here."

"Oh sweetie, where will you go?" Donna asked.

"I can help." Hal said softly. "Do you trust me?"

She nodded.

He gathered her up and surrounded the two of them with a protective shield. Stepping outside he took off, flying higher, higher until they broke through the atmosphere. She had her eyes closed and was clutching him tight.

"Open your eyes." He said. "It's the most beautiful view you'll ever see." She looked up at him and then glanced down. Below them, the planet was spinning, blue and beautiful. She gasped. "I always said I'd take you to space." He said.

"And I always said that the nearsighted thing would be an issue." Felicity replied.

Hal shrugged. "You know I always find a way around the rules."

"Wow." She said.

He flew them to the moon's surface where he'd parked the guardian's ship. Decloaking it, he had carried her aboard before reactivating the cloaking system.

"Welcome lantern Jordan." The ship said.

"That's Aya. She's an artificial intelligense who runs the ship." He explained. "Aya, this is Felicity."

"I recognize her from your photograph." A hover chair came into the main bridge, stopping in front of them. "I took the liberty of creating this for your convenience."

"Thanks, Aya." Felicity said, hesitantly as Hal gently put her into it.

"You are welcome, Mrs. Jordan."

Hal noticed that Felicity flinched slightly at the name.

"My apologies would you prefer to be called Ms. Smoak?" The AI asked.

"If you don't mind." Felicity said. "It's been a while since anyone called me that." She looked up at Hal.

"Where's Kil-" He began.

"Poozer, how's it goin with winning back the missus?" Kilowog walked onto the bridge.

"Why do you not ask her yourself?" Aya suggested. Kilowog turned and looked straight at Felicity. She was leaning forward out of her chair, gaping at him, her eyes wide. Kilowog's face broke into a smile and came to kneel in front of her, taking her hand and pressing it to her forehead. It was the traditional way to greet a lady on his planet.

"This is Kilowog." Hal said. "He helped train me…He may look like a blood thirsty monster, but he's not…at least not with people who aren't me."

"Stop whining, Poozer." Kilowog grumbled. He smiled at Felicity as he stood. "Some day you'll have to explain how he tricked you into marrying him." He glanced over at Hal. "I thought you said people had choice when it came to marriage on your planet."

"We do." Hal said. "Well…okay not all of us, but where I come from we do." He glared at Kilowog. Felicity was still looking at Kilowog in shock.

"Sorry." She said slowly. "It's just…I've never met an alien before."

Kilowog nodded his head. "You're holding it together much better than Jordan. He begged me not to kill him when he first met me."

"I'd been hurtled across the galaxy by a piece of jewelry." Hal grumbled. "Can you honestly blame me for being a little bit freaked out?"

Kilowog shrugged. Hal turned to Felicity. "You can stay up here with us for as long as you want. I can take you down to work every day and bring you back when you need me to."

Felicity nodded. "Guess I officially have the longest commute." She murmured as she glanced out of the bridge windows at the Earth. She put her hand on the chair's motion controls. "so…does this space ship have beds because I could really use some sleep."

Hal nodded, motioning for her to follow him, he led her off the bridge and into the sleeping quarters. His room was the first on the left.

"This is mine, but you can use it." He said. "I can stay with you…" he added as she entered and looked around. "If you want." She hesitated before shaking her head.

"I think I need to be alone to figure some things out." She murmured. Hal nodded.

"Well, sleep tight. If you need the lights adjusted or the windows blacked out or anything, just ask Aya." He stepped out of the room, watching the door as it closed on her. Taking a steadying breath he walked back to the bridge. Kilowog was staring intently at a computer. "Anything."

"The Thanagarian signal disappeared, again." He growled. "Something's up, Jordan and I don't like it." He glanced at him. "How's Felicity?"

"She's…" He grimaced. "She broke up with her fiancé." He explained about the child. Kilowog listened until the end before saying.

"Does she want me to order a blood feud? On my planet, that's what we'd do."

Hal smiled. "Let's call that plan b."

Kilowog nodded and turned back to the screens. "I don't understand what's going on with this signal…and if I don't understand…" He trailed off. Hal frowned.

"You don't think…"

"I do." Kilowog said bluntly. "They're definitely involved."

"It isn't their job to interfere." Hal insisted.

"And that's stopped them before?" Kilowog said.

"Good point." Hal growled. "But until we know for sure that the Time Masters are involved we can't accuse them. We don't want a repeat of last time."


	4. Chapter 4

Living on the ship was a lot more interesting once Felicity got used to it. A space ship. An actual space ship.

"How are you feeling?" Hal asked after about a month of her living there. He had kept his distance, wisely reasoning that his resurrection was still a lot to deal with. Felicity turned from her position by the window and smiled.

"Just thinking about how peaceful and beautiful Earth is from up here." She motioned to the image of the blue planet with its swirling clouds and water. She could recognize Africa below them. "You'd never think all the violence and pain was possible from looking at it." She raised an eyebrow. "You're probably used to views like this."

"No." Hal said coming to stand next to her. "Don't get me wrong I've seen many beautiful planets all over the galaxy, but." He looked down at her with a smile. "There's something special about the planet where the woman you love lives."

Felicity ducked her head.

"Sorry." Hal murmured, stepping back slightly.

"No it's…" Felicity bit her lip. She knew Hal had been trying to be respectful of her space. "I don't mind." She admitted, reaching out her hand and putting it on his arm, holding him back. "I would be lying if-"

"We have a problem." Kilowog growled, coming over to them, interrupting her. Felicity and Hal moved apart from each other, both embarrassed. Kilowog didn't seem to notice, in fact he looked really worried.

"What is it?" Hal asked. Kilowog glanced at Felicity, before continuing. "It's about the Thanagarians. The evidence we found of interference-"

"In Ancient Egypt, but that's almost four thousand years old." Hal cut him off.

"Well let's just say it's not so ancient anymore." Kilowog replied. "There's a signal coming from the planet. A clearly Thanagarian signal. The problem is that Aya insists that it originated in 1958."

"That's impossible." Hal said. "If it wasn't there before how could it have existed for over 50 years?"

"That is a strange conundrum." Aya chimed in. "However when such a paradox exists there is usually one explanation."

"The time masters." Hal and Kilowog groaned. Felicity looked at their annoyed expressions in the confusion.

"Time Masters?" she asked. Hal jerked his head in annoyance.

"Contact the time council." He growled. "Tell them I want to have words." He walked over the command center of the bridge "Angry words." He muttered.

Kilowog cleared his throat and motioned to Felicity. Hal sighed.

"Right." He winced. "Felicity, I-"

"Official lantern business, I get it." She turned her chair around, and moved to leave the bridge.

"Felicity." Hal called, stopping her. "I'll explain as soon as I can."

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks." She murmured.

Hal watched Felicity go. "I don't like keeping things from her." He said, turning to Kilowog. "Especially if it might involve Thanagarian invasions." He turned back to the screen. "Aya please contact the time council."

* * *

Felicity was sitting at her desk at Palmer Tech When Barry ran in.

"Barry?" She asked.

"We need you at Star labs." He said. "It's an emergency."

"I don't-" She barely had time to respond before Barry grabbed her and ran.

"BAARRYYYYYY." She shouted. He put her down in the main room of the lab. She glared up at him and smacked him.

"Ow." He said, rubbing his face.

"We need to have a conversation about boundaries." She hissed, looking around. "What the hell is going on?"

Not evil Harrison Wells was standing off to the side next to Caitlin and Cisco. Team Arrow was also there. Oliver looked at her arrival in surprise. On the other side were Kendra, Ray, Captain Cold, Heatwave and Sara. Hal and Kilowog stood in the center, glaring down a man in a long leather coat.

"I should arrest you right here, right now." Hal growled.

"Typical Lantern posturing." The man retorted "Waving around that ring as though it gives you any actual authority."

'Hey Felicity." Ray waved at her. "Is it true he's your husband?"

Felicity covered her face. "Can someone explain what's happening here?"

"What's happening here is that I figured out what makes the Thanagarians interested in Earth." Hal shot Kendra a look.

"You're saying it's my fault?" The British man asked.

"Do you see any other rogue time master running around pretending to be a space cowboy?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about." The time master replied.

"I do know" Hal took a menacing step forward, "that the Guardians were contacted by the Time council about 3 months ago because one of their members had jumped the rails. Then 2 months later, Thanagar is magically arming for a full scale invasion. Of somewhere… We didn't know where…until now." Hal glared at Kendra.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" She asked.

"How did you get your wings?" Hal retorted.

"That's a really long story." Ray muttered.

Felicity wheeled closer to Hal.

"Would it have something to do with meteors?" Hal asked. Kendra gaped at him. He sighed before continuing. "Those "meteors" were actually part of an ancient Thanagarian invasion plan which never worked…until now. Those Thanagarian invasion forces are following a signal."

"I don't see." The Time master interrupted loudly. "What this has to do with me and my team."

"Because you're not looking at the bigger picture." Hal growled. "Until you went rogue that signal didn't exist. Then magically it appears….in 1958."

Felicity looked around at Sara and her team. The second Hal had said the date, they'd all blanched. Hal leaned back and crossed his arms and put on a self-satisfied smirk.

"Judging from your less then confident looks, I think we can all safely assume that you know exactly what caused it…and that you probably had something to do with it."

"Savage experimented on those meteor fragments, not us." Muttered the Time Master.

"Oh that is so typical of you Time Masters." Hal growled. "Nothing is ever your fault. If something happens it was meant to be and there's nothing you could have done to stop it."

"We didn't make him carry out those experiments." The time master replied.

"But something in the time stream hanged when you went there." Hal shot back. "I've heard of you, Rip Hunter. You're overconfident and jump the gun."

"He hem." Kilowog cleared his throat. Hal turned with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" He muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Remind you of anyone Poozer?" Kilowog asked.

"No." Hal said, stubbornly. Felicity snorted. Hal turned at look at her.

"What?" Felicity shrugged. "He has a point."

"Et tu Felicity?" Hal said.

"Hey, I know you better than anyone in here in every sense." Felicity said, before blushing as Oliver cleared his throat loudly. "Let's all pretend that we didn't hear that." She muttered. Hal gave her a small smile.

"Whatever you say, sunflower." He said. Then froze. Felicity's breath caught. "Um…" He glanced down at her nervously. He hadn't used his old nickname for her since his return. She put her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm trying to protect the Earth." Rip said loudly, bringing their attention back to the crisis.

"Impending invasion." Hal said, shaking himself and turning back to Rip. "Right." He glared back at the time master.

Digg looked over at Felicity. "Should we…cut in or…" He trailed off as Kilowog gave him a glare. "Right, stupid question."

"I'm trying to protect the galaxy." Hal growled, stepping closer. His ring glowed and he was surrounded in a bright green light. "Your actions affect more than just the time stream on this planet."

"You don't think I know that?" The time master asked.

"Clearly you don't." Hal said. "Your alterations have consequences that echoed outside this solar system. As we speak members of the Green Lantern corps are mobilizing against the Thanagarian army and what are the time masters doing? Sitting on their asses because 'this was all meant to be'. Those are my people, my friends and they could be dying because of you."

"The other human's right." Kilowog said. "We're wasting valuable time arguing."

Hal crossed his arms. Felicity turned to the time master. "Hi, um…I'm Felicity Smoak. Maybe if you go over what you did in 1958 you'll be able to pinpoint what set off the signal."

"What will that do?" Rip asked.

"Didn't they teach anything at Time loser school?" Kilowog asked.

"Nice one." Hal said, putting up his hand. Kilowog looked at it in confusion. "High five." Hal said. "It means I agree with you…"

"On my planet it means you want to fight me." Kilowog said.

"World ending crisis." Felicity said.

"You are my better half." Hal said, focusing his attention on Rip. "The ships the Thanagarians are using are drawn to the signal. Remove it and they have nothing to follow. If you remove it from 1958-"

"Then the signal will disappear from our current time and they will never have built up their invasion force and won't be on their way here." Understanding dawned on Rip's face. "Brilliant." He grinned at Felicity.

"Hey.' Hal snapped his fingers in front of Rip's face. "No grinning at my wife."

"So you're seriously married?" Ray said. "Does that make me a mistress?"

Everyone looked at Ray.

"Did you ever love me?" He asked.

"Ray." Felicity covered her face.

"Raymond, if it makes you feel better," Snart drawled, "I never loved you either."

"Hunter." Hal said. "Start recounting. Start in 1958."

* * *

After a tense 30 minutes of interrogation and a bit of research on Cisco and Felicity's part, the team decided that signal was most likely coming from the meteor fragment Vandal Savage had been running tests on.

"It's still coming from the same abandoned asylum wing Savage worked in." Felicity said. "And this could not get more creepy villain if it put on a cape and cackled out an evil manifesto."

"We'll go back to 1958 and –" Ray began.

"No." Hal said. "Your time traveling privileges have been revoked. Flash, Felicity tells me you can run back in time."

Barry nodded.

"1958." Hal said. "Run."

Barry was back within 5 minutes. "This what you're looking for?" He gasped, plopping down a giant glowing rock in front of the group. "This is super heavy. It's a good thing I have fast healing because otherwise…" he patted his back. "I get the feeling that I would be able to tell when the weather turns." He straightened up. "Also…it might rain tomorrow."

Hal looked at the meteor.

"What are you thinking, Poozer?" Kilowog said, coming next to him.

"We need to destroy it." He murmured. "But if it came from Thanagar-"

"Then human technology wouldn't be able to hold against it." Kilowog finished. He frowned at Hal. "I know that look."

"I do too." Felicity said, "Hal, please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking. Because there has to be another way."

"What, should I throw it in the sun?" Hal said, innocently.

"Maybe."

Hal shook his head. "The foreign matter could cause a negative reaction accelerating the destruction of the sun." He looked around the lab. "Is there some kind of containment chamber?"

"The pipeline villain containment chamber." Cisco said.

"Hal." Felicity said.

"No piece of human technology could destroy it…." Hal held up his ring. "This isn't human technology."

"No." Felicity grabbed his arm.

"Kilowog grab the meteor." Hal said. Felicity followed them into the pipeline.

"Hal, what are you planning?" She asked as she watched Kilowog put the meteor into one of the cells.

"The rings can overload the signal and cause it to explode." Hal said.

"Hal." Felicity murmured. "You'd have to be in the chamber with it when it goes thermonuclear."

"Hey." Hal knelt in front of her.

"I just-" She swallowed. Hal put his hand on her cheek, "I just got you back." She covered his hand with hers and leaned into it.

"Remember when I told you that I couldn't guarantee me being there." He asked.

"Poozer." Kilowog said.

"Kilowog, this is my planet. My sector." He looked over at his friend. "I can't ask you to run this risk."

Kilowog crossed his arms. "You've got something to live for, Poozer." He looked at Felicity. "She's something pretty special."

"I know." Hal said. "Which is why at least this time I get to say goodbye properly." He kissed Felicity, before standing. "Kilowog, out of my way or else."

Kilowog shook his head. "You were always so ridiculously stubborn." He said, pulling him in for a hug. "I'll watch out for her." He said.

Hal stepped into the chamber and shut it behind him. Felicity pressed her hand to the glass. "How about dinner tonight?" He asked. "We'll go grab some junkfood."

She closed her eyes, knowing him he was putting on a brave face in order to stave off the inevitable.

"Then mint chip ice cream?" Felicity suggested.

"Then mint chip ice cream." Hal agreed. "We can go to karaoke and I'll embarrass myself singing a cheesy love song for you." He held out his ring and pointed it at the meteor. "Please…don't look."

Felicity closed her eyes, pressing her face against the glass. She could still see the flash of green light as it intensified. The glass shook as the meteor exploded. "Hal" she gasped out. She turned to glare at the assembled team behind her. "Open the door."

"We should wait to see if the danger passed." Cisco said.

"OPEN. ." Felicity shouted. Cisco gulped and ran to the chamber controls. Felicity wheeled in and covered her mouth. Hal was on the ground, collapsed with meteor fragments around him. He didn't look like he was breathing and he was covered in dust with scratches and cuts and there was blood. "Hal." Felicity said, slipping out of her chair onto the floor. She pulled Hal's head onto her lap. "Please don't leave." She begged. "I love you."

"Felicity." Kilowog had followed her in and was looking at them. He reached for him, but Felicity held him closer. "He's not gone."

Felicity looked at him, not wanting to hope, but unable to stop the flooding heat to her stomach.

"His ring." Kilowog rumbled. "It's still on his finger. If he were dead it would have chosen a new lantern."

"Which sucks because this job is the worst." Hal groaned, pressing his face against Felicity. "Though I do like the pillow benefits."

Felicity let out a weak laugh. "If you weren't injured I would-"

"Finish that sentence with something sexy that you don't want to say in front of your team?' Hal suggested, blinking opened his eyes. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

Felicity pushed the hair out of his face and smiled.

"Because I plan to say it a lot." He said. "And that love you…just like you love me...So. Do you want to have dinner with me…and try to make this work?"

Felicity nodded.

"Good. Tell me I looked badass when I went to save the galaxy from invasion?" Hal asked. "Totally cooler than that time loser?"

"Infinitely cooler than that time loser." Felicity agreed. "Kilowog, Little help?" She held up her arms. He picked her up and put her back in her chair. Then he threw Hal over his shoulder.

"Back to the ship." He said. "We'll have Aya play nurse. She loves fixing things."

"Then Felicity and I are playing doctor." Hal said. "I may have a head injury."

Hours later Felicity and Hal were huddled on his bed on the ship. "How many stitches?" She asked, running her fingers over the bandage on his arm. He smiled.

"8." He replied. "Should we…discuss how this….is going to be a thing?"

"Tomorrow." Felicity said. "For now. Let's just enjoy this moment and the view." She looked out at the planet. Hal smiled and looked up at her.

"Best in the galaxy." He murmured.


End file.
